Execution
by Nivek01
Summary: One-shot. Even with his life about to end, he knew she would be in good hands.


**My second fanfic. Tried to keep the OOCness down this time. Enjoy.**

_He held her in his arms as she cried, the meadow around them not helping her calm down. "Help him" she whispered over and over again. "Help him..."_

The lights turned on, filling the temporary holding cell with light. Not that it mattered. The prisoner was blindfolded, his arms cuffed in front of him, giant restraints keeping anything below his wrists from moving. He was completely wrapped in negatively compressed metal links, more commonly known as mammon chain. he was gagged, with ear mufflers on, his nose plugged, cutting off all of his senses and restricting his oxygen intake to a minimum.

But he wasn't an idiot, quite the opposite in fact. He knew what was going on. He could see lights turn on beyond the blindfold. He knew that the two towering figures coming towards him to pick him up by his heels and shoulders were Vindice caretakers. He knew from prior knowledge that they were going to bring him to a water tank stationed just outside his cell to keep him perfectly in stasis so that he couldn't know how long it would be till they reached the platform. _How ironic_ thought the captive, smiling forlornly around the gag as he was lowered into the tank, an oxygen tank being fastened to his mouth and nose.

_He rushed down the corridors of the prison, destroying the cameras around each corner as he rounded them, their locations burned into his mind from the few glimpses he could get at schematics before he had to destroy them. Better to have to postpone the escape then risk blowing the whole thing. Because he knew, even as he blew through the guards stationed at the end of the hall, that this was his last chance._

He bobbed slowly up and down in his tank, the water chilling his body. He thought about everyone he knew, everyone he'd left behind. In that cold, dark water tank, he realized that this was it. When they pulled him out of this tube, they were going to display him like a freak, then blow his brains out. His life would be over in an hour. And all he'd done, all he'd strive to do, all were meaningless in this hallway. He could feel his heart beat faster, trying to warm his body.

He thought about the woman he was leaving behind. The woman that had cried to him so painfully, begging for his help. It was a wasted effort. He would of done what he did with or without her pleads. But there was so much that he wanted her to hear...so much that she would never know. His heart beat even faster...probably to keep him warm. That had to be it.

_The water sloshed around them, the tank destroyed. A lion and an owl fought off scores of bandaged warriors, while their masters helped each other slink towards the elevator shaft, ripped open. With an illusion, they could float up it. Then it was just a fight from the center of the mountain to the outside world, where they had transportation ready. The lion leapt to the shaft, the owl floating on behind it, all four attackers reaching their escape route at roughly the same time. Behind them, their enemies lay in piles on the ground, either muttering and fidgeting while holding their heads, staring at the weapons that had turned to rock, metal, glass, or had quite simply melted, or lying unconscious._

_The two masters looked at each other, smiling. They were almost home free._

After a period of time that the prisoner couldn't tell, the tank stopped moving. The top was unsealed, and he was hoisted out of his tank by the chains, then dropped onto the floor. The prisoner waited for a second, only to feel a sharp pain enter his side, followed by pain going across his entire body. _A tazer...they're tazing me!_ was the last thought the prisoner had before he couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but the pain. As his body blissfully slipped into unconsciousness, he found himself praying for the first time in his life. Praying that they would kill him quickly, before he woke up.

_The illusion was weak, but it was holding the two young adults fine. Their animals back in their gear, the Ver. X Sky ring still lit with flames, the brunette sighed to try and relieve some stress. It didn't work, much to the amusement of his raven haired partner. They were ascending three times as fast as an elevator, yet still they hadn't reached their floor after two minutes. They stared at each other, silently willing the other to do nothing, to not break under the growing anticipation of escape, or relax during the little break they had. They needed to be cool, calm, like the forces of nature they were likened to. They needed to pass through the virtual army of prison wardens like mist; they needed to be able to see all and go anywhere to avoid capture, like the sky. The burnette suddenly snapped his eyes shut, then slammed his gloved fist outwards, blowing open another door. The army on the other side recomposed themselves as the two guardians climbed out of the shaft, igniting the flames on their weapons, noticing right away the enemy illusionists pumping out flames to disturb mist flames. They also noticed the ten foot long chain guns that had begun to rotate, about to fire bullets anytime in the next half second. _

"_Just another day at work." quietly whispered the Vongola boss._

The prisoner silently cursed everything he could think of as he came back to consciousness. He didn't want to wake up only to be killed again. He'd rather they skip the useless garbage and do what they wanted to already. He heard a dull drone and instinctively rose his head, only to notice the drone get louder. He felt the chains around him unwind, his whole body relaxing after being chained up tight for two days. His moment of relaxation was short lived; he was quickly yanked into a proper standing position, his arms lifted above his head, then tied to something. They began taking off the restraints, starting with the earplugs. When they pulled out the foam cylinders, the prisoner registered the droning noise as jeering. The prisoner smirked, thinking about all the people that would attend his execution. The jeering brought back a bittersweet memory.

_They had done it. They had cut through armies of Vindice, somehow defied all logic, and made it off the mountain. They were in a old pickup truck, going twice the speed limit, somehow trying to beat the cell signals the Vindice were using to contact the airport, stopping all flights. The thought of it just made the driver press on the gas harder. _We are NOT failing here_ he thought, stealing a glance at his passenger, who was lying against the passenger door, trying to breathe. So much exercise after being in a water tank for 7 years would have killed most people. It certainly wasn't being kind to the pineapple head, who grimaced in pain. "We're almost there. We're almost home." reassured the driver, breaking the silence they'd held for the past three hours. The passenger just tried to turn his grimace into his signature foxy smile._

_They both tensed at a whistling sound as a rocket slammed into the back of their truck, flipping them. Both had their seat belts on, so they survived. But the passenger was out cold, the driver struggling to maintain alertness. They had used up too much energy breaking out of the prison, and they hadn't rested in the day since the start of the break in. They were paying for it now._

_The car began to shine, then exploded in orange flame as Nuts, in full grown lion form, stared down the rapidly approaching Vindice. The lion looked down at it's master, bent over, then ran off faster then the average plane, with an extra load on its back._

_The Vindice rushed to the destroyed truck, finding only one figure lying next to it. They fastened a harness around his neck and woke him up, pulling him to his knees._

_A pissed of Vindice is an unorganized Vindice. After the neck restraint, they began to jeer at their new prisoner, cursing him and insulting his family. All quieted when the biggest of them, obviously the leader, strode towards the prisoner, picking him up by the restraint. _

"_You will die for this, Sawada Tsunayoshi." he whispered as the boss surrendered to unconsciousness._

Tsuna opened his eyes to the bright day as his blindfold was removed. He stood on a platform that looked to be square, about five feet by five. He looked upon the jeering crowd as his gag was removed. He recognized every face with the help of his hyper intuition, all friends or family of the thousands of thugs he'd defeated, hospitalized...or killed.

Other faces were more memorable. He saw a little girl whose facial features made her out to be one of the very few surviving Giegue. She cooly looked upon Tsuna, rage hidden deep inside her eyes. The survivors all blamed him and his guardians for not noticing the Shimon's treachery sooner, and as a direct result blame them for the death of their family and their fall from power.

He also saw Byakuran, and many members of the Millefiore, joyously joining the jeering and yelling. Though the Millefiore family didn't exist in this timeline, all of the major players from the white spell were still high level assasins that the Guardians had somehow or another managed to piss off.

Tsuna closed his eyes, thinking that the sun can be very bright if you haven't seen it for a month. He thought about happier memories.

_Kyoko leaned over, kissing his lips. He was shocked, his eyes slowly closing as he immersed himself in the kiss. After they broke apart, Kyoko smiled, whispering "Bye, Tsu-kun." Left standing on his porch as he watched his now girlfriend run off to her home, Tsuna thought about their kiss. It was his first, and since it was with Kyoko, he should be happy. Yet he couldn't feel anything. Not happiness, not expectation, not bliss...nothing. The very thing he'd been scurrying after for all of middle school now seemed so unimportant._

_He sighed, realizing that he had made a mistake. That he wanted someone else so much more now. His thoughts were interrupted as he walked through the door...and into Chrome Dokuro. She reeled back, catching herself and staring at Tsuna, her new Nami High uniform swaying. From the fact that she had been on her toes when he walked through the door, and the blush she had across her cheeks as she avoided his eyes, he knew she had seen him with Kyoko. Before he could say anything she looked up at him. "Good night, boss." she said as she ran out the open door behind him. Tsuna slowly closed the door, sinking to the floor. "God damnit." he whispered._

Tsuna was brought out of his memories by a large, bellowing trumpet. He looked up, across the courtyard that he could see now -thanks to his eyes adjusting- into a balcony on the far side of the european style execution plaza. One of the vongola's leaders stood there, sneering down at his boss. Though each guardian outranked all others in the Vongola, the exceptions being Squalo, Xanxus, and Basil, who were all considered of equal standing, this man was a close number twelve. He was a bureaucrat, a politician of sorts in the mafia world. He was angry at Tsuna for his soft handling of Vongola matters, and the way he let the Guardians do whatever they wanted.

Tsuna never ordered his Guardians to do anything. The way he saw it, the sky doesn't control the weather, it simply shows it all the places it can go, and gives it a safe place to operate. Not even Giotto had given his guardians so much freedom. It was one of the many things Tsuna did to change the Vongola. Many of the higher echelon that had served under the Ninth didn't like these changes, and were constantly looking for reasons to dethrone their boss. And now they had finally found one.

_They walked hand in hand, Kyoko practically jumping with each step, Tsuna just as bright and bubbly on the outside. But on the inside, he was in turmoil. He loved Kyoko, but those feelings weren't strong enough to overcome his new feelings. As they walked into the cakeshop that had become a regular stop on their way home, Tsuna sighed at the irony of life. He had finally gotten who he wanted, only to have his feelings spike in other directions. _

_Kyoko was oblivious to her boyfriends troubles, getting another chocolate cake and walking up to the register. The clerk smiled, knowing both of them by name. He didn't even have to say the price, since they always bought the same thing. Thanking them, knowing that they'd be back in a couple days, the clerk turned to other customers as the couple walked out the door._

_Tsuna was once again musing his thoughts when he bumped into Kyoko, at the end of the street. Kyoko just smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss him. He obliged, and for a minute his mind was in sweet quietness, not thinking a single thought. When they broke apart, Kyoko sealed the date with her usual "Bye, Tsu-kun." and so doing, she walked home._

_A while later, after Tsuna had finally been able to get home, skillfully dodging everyone's questions on how his date went, he went to his room to find Chrome standing next to his bed, her back towards him. She turned around, her eyes filled with sadness. She had moved in with Tsuna the day after his first kiss with Kyoko, since Ken and Chikusa had gone off to do something for Mukuro. It was probably very dangerous, if they didn't want her to go along, so Chrome spent much of her time worrying. Apparently, her mood worsened whenever she was around Tsuna, according to Nana and I-pin. _

_Today marked the day that Chrome would be moving back in with her friends. They had finally returned, accompanied by M.M. and a strange boy that claimed to be Mukuro's student, named Fran. Everyone at the Sawada residence felt that Chrome deserved a going away party after living with them for three months. That was why Tsuna had gone upstairs in the first place, to grab the gifts he had hidden for everyone at Kokuyo._

_Chrome stared at Tsuna, using illusions to cover up her eyepatch. It made everyone more comfortable around her, and Nana seemed to not think her a delinquent if she didn't see Chrome wearing an eyepatch, plus it was good training at maintaining a strong illusion for long periods of time, so it was a good idea all around._

_But having a right eye unsettled both Chrome, who had to precisely move the illusion every time she looked somewhere new, and Tsuna, whose hyper intuition kept telling him that something was off with Chrome. This uncomfortableness didn't help the awkwardness in the room. _

_Chrome crossed the distance between them an instant before Tsuna spoke, walking behind him. He turned to watch her shut the door. A question forming on his lips, Chrome suddenly spun around and hugged him, pulling herself close to him. "Ch-Chrome...what're you..." Tsuna tried to form coherrent thought as he looked down at his Mist Guardian. She responded only by looking up at him with half closed eyes and whispering "Forgive me, boss..."_

_She stood up on her tiptoes, turning her head and pressing her lips to his. She unwound her arms from around his chest and placed her palms against the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. Her palms followed her fingers, her arms following her palms, and very quickly she was resting her elbows just behind his shoulders, her arms holding his head as her kiss went from innocent to passionate. _

_Her mouth left slightly open; her nose lightly brushing against his cheek; the way that her lips moved like they were kissing him over and over again without actually breaking contact; all these things turned Tsuna on. But what finally broke down his last defense and made him give in was when she exhaled most of her remaining oxygen through her nose, a soft but deep sigh escaping her. It drove Tsuna mad._

_Just as he was about to respond, she broke off, avoiding Tsuna's eyes, sounding like she was about to cry. "Sorry, sorry boss...I just...I had to...once, I-" Her feeble apology broken off by Tsuna lightly placing his hands on her waist, picking her up, and setting her against his door._

_His hands traveled up her sides to her shoulders, then followed her arms to her hands, where he intertwined their fingers. As she started to slide down the door, he pinned her body against it with his. Their faces at eye level, a blush rapidly forming on Chrome's wide-eyed but ready face, Tsuna calmly placed his forehead against hers and whispered "I'm the boss. I decide when things end." then he slightly turned his head and kissed her._

_Chrome didn't move for a full twenty seconds, not believing that this was actually happening. That her boss would so passionately pin her against his door. That he would raise her arms above her head as his tongue softly licked hers. That he would become even more engrossed in her when she let out a soft squeal of surprise, quickly ripping her hands from his and cradling his head, bending her body to fit his. Tsuna could read her like an open book._

_Tsuna moved his hands from the door to Chrome's back, one hand softly stroking her lithe, muscled frame, the other locking his door, so that he could enjoy his time with Chrome undisturbed, party be damned._

Three men walked up onto the platform. Two wore the standard Vindice uniform, except without the cloaks and hats, and the suits were white. Vindice ceremonial executioners. The third wore Vindice clothing, but had no bandages from his nostrils to the bottom of his jaw. The executioners both carried an assortment of axes, knives, guns, stakes, and general weaponry that they would choose at the crowds whim. It was a tactic to show that not even the mighty Vongola Dechimo can stand up to the Vindice.

The third man carried only a scroll, which he unraveled and began reading. _Very victorian_ thought Tsuna. The man cleared his throat.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is here today to be sentenced before you all, and publicly executed for the crimes of Conspiracy to Break Our Laws, Breaking and Entering a Penitentiary, Destroying and Compromising Vindice Security, Freeing A Maximum Security Prisoner, Attacking, Harming, and Murdering Vindice Personnel," at this point he paused as the boos and yells intensified to an all time high. "and the Unlawful Abuse of Position."

"We have evidence to support all of the charges, which we will review now. Please turn your attention to exhibit A, on your left..."

Tsuna stopped paying attention, scanning the crowd for more familiar faces, all the while thinking about Chrome...oh, his beautiful Chrome...

_Chrome softly petted Tsuna's bangs as they lie on his bed. With the party over, everyone else asleep, Reborn off checking up on Gokudera, who'd called earlier saying that he and Yamamoto were getting ready to finish off the local thugs and wanted Reborn there for after battle "diplomacy", Chrome and Tsuna had retired back to his room for a beautiful hour of passionate kissing and Chrome teasing Tsuna. Both acting like they had been dating for years. _

_Even though they had never really talked before, this night had shown them a side of the other that would never be forgotten. Chrome realized that Tsuna acted uncomfortable around anyone because he was almost always on guard. Tsuna realized Chrome wasn't experienced at opening her heart out to others, which is why she seemed distant and uncaring to everyone. They were very much alike, which is why they could relax around each other._

_Chrome stopped petting Tsuna's hair, instead taking her arm and draping it around his waist. She scooted closer, slightly curling, and whispered to Tsuna. "We've been lying here for an hour, and I'm still wearing everything. Does that make us innocent, or having a lot of self control?"_

_Tsuna looked down from her eye (the illusion dispelled as soon as the party ended) to her lips, to her collar bone, to her chest, down, down, down..._

"_Well, we're mafia, so we can't be innocent...and do I seem like I have a lot of self control?" replied Tsuna playfully, brushing his knuckles down her neck._

_She shivered, then smiled, already knowing where this was going. "But boss, what's to stop us then from..." She didn't finish her sentence, content to just press herself against him lustfully, propping herself on one elbow, bringing her face closer to his._

_As Tsuna struggled to turn back on his brain and come up with something to say that would sound gentlemanly, but would really get across exactly WHAT he wanted right now, he saw Chrome staring at something forlornly behind him. He turned to look at a picture that he and Kyoko had gotten about a month earlier, at a local carnival. She had hugged him tightly, pressing her head just under his jaw as his arms encircled her._

_He felt Chrome slink back from him. He turned to look at her again, and saw her eye starting to glisten, a look of pain on her face. And suddenly the mood was gone. They were back to Dame-Tsuna and his quiet, shy mist guardian. She looked back at him. He could see his own sadness and confusion mirrored in her eyes._

_They stared at each other. Chrome leaned over, softly kissing the top of his nose before whispering "Kyoko is my friend. You need to let one of us go."_

"And that, everyone, is all the evidence we have presented. We also have a message from a Vongola head official. Would you please tell the crowd what you told us." The messenger asked the politician. The politician smirked at Tsuna, then closed his eyes as if in pain.

"Boss Sawada has caused us back at Vongola HQ quite a bit of grief. He doesn't respect authority or tradition. He regularly goes against the wishes of the family. He has done many things to harm the family reputation, standing, and power. Then he teaches the younger generations to do the same! He places more value in the words of his personal bodyguards-brutes, every one of them, only concerned about their next fight, mind you-then in the words of his predecessors' advisors! My only solace in this is that our family, and the whole mafia world, will be able to rest easy knowing that this erratic youngster will not take breath a minute past midday."

And so finishing, he sat back down, a smile on his face. They both knew that once Tsuna was dead, all of those who called him Boss would be forced to swear loyalty to this man. Basil wasn't part of the family, no one Guardian would be able to get enough support to stop him, and Xanxus could be taken care of.

Tsuna finally found who he was looking for. There, close to the front of the crowd, was Kozato Enma. Unlike all of his other enemies, he was not cheering. It seemed that he could hardly look at the execution platform. His bodyguards were spread in a loose circle around him, either copying their boss, looking around boredly, or angrily staring at the gloating politician. Even if they had been bitter enemies in the past, time had healed their relationship till they became a sort of balance for the other family. The Guardians never overstepped their bounds for fear of having to fight the Shimon. The Shimon never tried to conquer more territory and expand their outfit for fear of fighting the Guardians.

The Shimon weren't happy about what was about to happen, but they weren't going to stop it. They probably figured it was his fault for getting caught. And just because they weren't in a war didn't mean that all had been forgiven. They weren't that nice. Not like others.

_Tsuna closed his eyes. He didn't know which one to keep. No. That wasn't right. He knew exactly who he wanted, but he didn't want to lose the other. Tsuna opened his eyes again and brought his hand up, brushing Chrome's cheek before he turned his arm to his desk, where he grabbed his phone. he pressed a few buttons, then brought the phone to his ear. "Kyoko-chan?" he softly asked. "We need to talk. Now."_

_Tsuna looked at his soon to be ex, who was trying very hard to not cry. "Why?" she asked softly. "Why now? Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"_

"_Because I wasn't sure this was how I felt. Kyoko-chan, I love you. And I know you love me...or at least the part of me that you know. But there are things we've done...things I'VE done...that you could never understand. There is a whole world of my life that you don't mix with-"_

"_But I can! If you give me a bit to learn how to shoot, or if you would let me sit in on some of these Guardian meetings Onii-chan always hints at, I'm sure that I could get used to all this." Kyoko looked at Tsuna with pleading eyes, desperate not to lose him._

"_Kyoko." Tsuna quieted her with a word. "You don't belong to my world. Not anymore. If I'm to be in a relationship...if I'm to ever find a woman to spend the rest of my time with...it needs to be with someone who is already in as deep as me. Someone who could understand the decisions I've made that go out of the boundaries of law and justice."_

_Kyoko just looked at Tsuna, trying for one last attempt to keep him. "I could change."_

_Tsuna just gained a painful expression. "Then you wouldn't be you. I love you too much to drag you under with me. I don't love you enough to accept you by my side in this world." He looked down at his clenched fists under the table. "I won't do this to you anymore...I'm sorry."_

_He looked back up, both pain and hope in his voice. "Can we still...be friends?" he asked, his voice cracking on the last word._

_Kyoko didn't reply. For the first time ever, she looked at Tsuna with steel in her eyes. "Who? Who would make you change your mind so easily? Who could POSSIBlY be better for you then me?" her voice began to raise in volume. "WHO?"_

_Tsuna couldn't answer. He wouldn't ruin Kyoko's bond with Chrome as well. Luckily for him, he didn't have to. Just as Kyoko began to cry, all her emotions boiling over, two thin, pale arms wrapped around her shoulders._

_Chrome rested her chin on Kyoko's head, beginning to cry as well. "I...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." Kyoko looked at her friend, understanding passing between the two friends. Kyoko then began to do the weirdest things; she smiled. "If its you...you or Haru...then thats good." Kyoko stood up. She hugged Chrome for a moment, then turned to Tsuna. "Thank you for telling me about this. I need some time to think. Talk to you tomorrow?" She asked._

_Tsuna nodded his head vigorously. "Of course."_

_Kyoko smiled, then smiled at Chrome, who looked like she was about to cry. "Don't worry." she told her silent friend. "I won't tell anyone. And I don't hate you." That just seemed to sadden Chrome even more. Kyoko nodded to both of them one last time before leaving the house._

_Chrome looked back at Tsuna. "I...I should probably go too, boss..."_

_Tsuna nodded. They were all emotionally drained. They all needed time to sort through their feelings. He stood to go back to his room when he noticed that Chrome hadn't moved yet. She was blushing, even with what looked like tears starting to go down her face. "...nk you."_

"_What was that, Chrome?" Tsuna asked._

_She just shook her head and ran out of his house._

The whip stung as it lashed across his back. The crowd cheered with each strip of flesh ripped off. Tsuna fought to stay conscious. He wouldn't give everyone the pleasure they wanted. He wouldn't fall unconscious. Even if it was only to deny his enemies a bit of happiness, he would stay awake right to the bitter end.

The executioner that wasn't whipping him had transferred all his materials to the one in charge of torturing him. He wouldn't touch another weapon until Tsuna was supposed to be executed, where he'd do the honors. In the meantime, he would simply stand there, gripping his biceps tightly, waiting.

The other executioner dropped the whip, and pulled out a couple different tools. He held a knife, a fire poker, and a bat in his hands. He individually held each up, letting the crowd cheer for what they wanted. When it was decided that the bat would be next, Tsuna saw a section of the crowd shudder. He looked towards them and visibly reacted in shock as he saw all his friends there, watching him slowly be beaten into a pulp with a baseball bat.

The kokuyo gang watched him with a mix of respect and sadness, thanking him for freeing their boss and at the same time realizing their inaction and failures were responsible for what was happening.

The Giglionero family watched, clenching their teeth. Bonds between the Vongola and Giglionero where strong, both being old and powerful families. Tsuna's friendliness with both Aria and Uni helped things quite a lot, Tsuna being a self proclaimed protecter of the younger Sky arcobaleno. This won much favor in Gamma's eyes, and the family followed their right hand in friendship.

Many of the independent assassins that Tsuna had met over the years- Shamal, Bianchi, Morrietti, Lancia- Were all present as well, their faces mixing in with those less connected to their Family's warriors- Fuuta, Shouichi, Spanner, I-pin, Haru, Kyoko. Dino stood by them with Romario, both looking outraged at the torments being forced on Tsuna. Both ready to kill over the dishonor Vongola Dechimo was being inflicted.

The Tomaso also stood near Tsuna's friends, for once being serious. Naito Longchamp had grown taller over the years, and had taken a liking to wearing suits too big for him, so he could fit all manner of guns and other weaponry underneath them. Today his suit looked sagged, like it wasn't stuffed to the brim with illegal weaponry.

The Varia were wrapped in chains, sitting on the ground, all looking around quickly. No one looked at the same place twice, or at a place one of the others had viewed. Tsuna knew they were forming a hit list as to who needed to be killed. Xanxus may not like them much, but this was the Vongola boss, damnit! They were going to personally kill every attendee here.

Reborn and Collonello also were looking around, sort of rolling their heads to glare at the Vindice. They were both in their adult forms, so it was obvious to everyone they were pissed. But they wouldn't do anything. Not while they were surrounded by armed guards, shackles restricting their movements, with so many enemies around them.

A detachment of soldiers surrounded Tsuna's allies, all wearing large cloaks to hide their identities, all pointing weapons at the groups.

As the bat broke Tsuna's final rib, making a few drops of blood come out of his mouth, he knew that no help would come from them. They were probably here to threaten the Guardians- who were unexplainably missing- from trying anything. _They're too strong to be caught _thought Tsuna _But too weak to fight these armies._

_He held Chrome in his arms as she cried, the meadow around them not helping her calm down. "Help him." She whispered over and over again. "Help him...they're going to execute him...Ken, Chikusa...they already tried to free him...almost died...Mukuro-sama is going to..." She looked up at her boss, nothing but panic in her eyes. Though they had dated all through high school, Chrome had disappeared with the rest of the Kokuyo after graduation. She had appeared only when they needed her, for a couple days at a time, disappearing again afterwords. It was the first time the two had talked in close to three years._

_Tsuna looked down at her. "Of course. How long till the execution?"_

_She closed her eyes, concentrating. "One month...its going to be public...they'll humiliate him in front of every Mafia then kill him like an animal...I can't...I-"_

"_I know, Chrome. I'll save him."_

_She buried her head into his chest, still shaking from nerves. "...nk you." she said, not removing her face._

_This time he knew what she said._

Tsuna's face had been left alone, so he could fully see, hear, and smell his own death. They had used whips, bats, knives, steaks, and finally open flame to torture is body. But now it was over. Now it would be time for the final blow.

The executioner that had been working until now stopped, backing away from Tsuna, showing off the bloody equipment to the crowd. The other executioner stepped forward to grab some of the killing tools from his partner, and so doing he ceremoniously cleaned each tool, propping them up against him as the crowd yelled which one they wanted Dechimo to die by.

Tsuna absentmindedly checked his body parts to see if anything was permanently damaged. Checking his wrists to see if his fingers had fallen off from the lack of circulation, he heard a slight jingle. He moved his fingers again and heard the jingle, again. Tsuna realized that the Sky ring was still on his hand. _The Vindice probably couldn't take it off my hand after Nuts returned to it._ He remembered a time about three weeks earlier. The wardens had gone into his room to try and remove the ring. He felt them come in and grab at his hand. Suddenly, the room glowed orange, a roar about burst everyone's eardrums, and suddenly the lion head was back on the ring, which wouldn't budge.

Tsuna smiled at the stroke of good luck. Even with the ring, he couldn't break out of his shackles and take out all of the guards in the area. One of his friends would die. But this way, he could imbue his will into it, to try and communicate his final wishes to the Guardians.

He closed his eyes, softly lighting the flame on his ring. He felt the presence of the other nine bosses. He could feel the previous Guardians, but not as strongly. He concentrated, forgetting everything around him, every thought going to the ring. And suddenly he could sense them all. He smiled again and gave his friends his final words.

_Hayato. Thank you for always staying by my side, no matter what I did. Good luck with Haru. May you lead our friends in my absense. _He felt a wave of wonder and curiosity wash over him from all directions as his Guardians wondered what was going on. Gokudera, always quick on the draw, was already guessing what happened and was mustering resolution to talk back.

_Takeshi. _Tsuna continued on, trying to deny Hayato his chance. _Thank you for always being calm, always being able to handle everything that happened with a smile or a scowl. Please keep our friends together so you may all weather the storm I fear is about to descend upon all of you. _Yamamoto also realized what was going on and responded with a wave of calmness, trying to stop tsuna from talking.

Undeterred, he continued down his list. _Ryohei. Thank you for always coming when anyone needed you most, never giving up on a situation, fighting side by side with those that all others considered beneath you. I would've been there to bless your child, and to make it known that I would protect if as if it were my own. But now I cannot; but the other guardians should be able to protect Hana and your child quite easily. _Ryohei, always the uncontrollable fighter, tried to respond with something akin to panic, but put too much force into it, so everyone was hit by an EXTREME rush of POWER!

_L...Lambo..._Tsuna mentally gasped, his mind wheeling, _Thank you for, oddly enough, your cowardice. Our enemies never knew exactly when you would have a flash of power or confidence, and valiantly take to the field with Ryohei. Have more confidence in yourself, and you will become the strongest out of all of us. _The panic that came from Lambo was more controlled then Ryohei, so he had the energy to actually say something. _Wait, Vongola-_

Tsuna didn't. _Kyoya. Thank you for always being the voice of reason, the devil's advocate among so many like thinkers. You kept us on our toes, thinking to our limits, pushing us in the right direction, and even helping us when we needed it. Please, continue to guide the others. _Kyoya simply flashed annoyance and a dull rage. _Giving up already, Herbivore?_

Tsuna sighed. Never a kind word from his Cloud Guardian, even in the end. _Mukuro._ he continued bravely on, _I know you can hear me through Chrome. Thank you for helping us. Though you unsettled Hayato and Lambo, you've never done anything to actually harm us since we first met. Please, protect them in the future. _

_Why should I? _ replied the Illusionist. _My so called Boss is giving up because of a simple execution. What loyalty do I have to you?_

_The debt created by me freeing you. _said Tsuna.

_Your intentions were never to in debt me. Why should that threat hold any meaning now? _asked Mukuro.

_Very well. Then hang under the shadow of my kindness for eternity. _simply stated Tsuna. Mukuro's reply was to laugh.

_Chrome..._ Tsuna tried to formulate thought, but couldn't. He couldn't think of anything to say. _Chrome..._ he simply let his emotions wash over her. His love for her. His happiness at the time they got to spend together. His frustration at how things turned out. His sadness that he never chased after her when she left.

His fear of what was about to happen.

She replied with a warm comforting feeling, with happiness and bitterness of her own, her panic as her mind rushed for things to say to him.

He mentally viewed all of their hearts. He felt sad, but ready. _Goodbye._

He opened his eyes and closed his heart, left with equal feelings of panic and resolution from his Guardians. His friends.

The executioner in charge of killing him stood, a small pistol in his hand. He slowly walked forward until he stood right in front of Tsuna. He raised the gun, putting the barrel to Tsuna's head. The gun hammer was cocked back; the trigger about to be pulled. Tsuna tensed, knowing that his life was about to end. He looked at where the eyes of the executioner was to see two green orbs staring at him from the slightly raised bandage. To very familiar green eyes...

"Relax, Tenth. Its the right hand man's job to protect his boss, not kill him."

Tsuna's eyes widened as, from behind a squad of Vindice guarding one of the entrances, everyone hear a familiar phrase that sent chills up many spines. "MAXIMUM CAAAAANNNNNON!"

The guards all exploded forward with a giant light shining behind them as Sasagawa Ryohei walked onto the scene, straightening the front of his jacket, glaring directly in front of him.

Someone shouted for the Wardens, which was meant only with silence, everyone too shocked to move. When the wardens were called for again, this time by many panicking people, they responded by running out of every building and location, running right towards Ryohei...and right past him.

Just as they reached the entrance, hundreds of black handcuffs shot out from under the balcony the politician was hiding on. Multiple handcuffs latching onto each person, they were suddenly, violently dragged off their feet and thrown into a nearby wall.

Hibari Kyoya walked out from under the balcony, his handcuff shrinking back to its normal size, tonfas in hand. He made eye contact with Ryohei, then as one the both of them turned towards the nearest group of guards and began violently attacking them, flames exploding off their bodies and weapons.

The other executioner, trying to thwart the Guardians plan, picked up an axe and charged Tsuna...only to take a bullet to the face. He fell to the ground, a large section of his head missing, as Gokudera Hayato removed the bandages around his face and summoned his arm mounted crossbow, firing multiple shots towards the vindice while throwing dynamite seemingly randomly.

The only group of vindice that wasn't involved in combat or already defeated were at the very back of the plaza. When they realized what was happening, they turned their guns on the platform while the cloaked guards turned their guns on the Vongola they had imprisoned.

Just before they pulled the triggers, one of the cloaked guards turned and bolted for the platform, jumping off a couple people and springing into the air, turning his body so that he faced the guns of the vindice. A shield of pure lightning flared up between the bullets and the platform - hitting quite a few onlookers as well - and down dropped Lambo, looking thoroughly pleased. He ran up to the execution platform, practically shouting "How's this for an execution, Vongola?"

Even though the platform had been protected, the imprisoned Vongola were still at the mercy of their guards, who now opened fire on them, yelling loud battle cries. Their yells turned to screams as the illusion dissipated and they shot each other in the chest and faces. Fifty feet to the left, a portion of the crowd dissolved to reveal the prisoners, looking around wondering why the guards that had been pointing guns at them suddenly turned into an illusion.

Then things got weird.

Fire and Ice, Owl and Bat, Demon and Angel, spirits and lotus flowers galore, and among them two almost dancing figures, teleporting among the battlefield, leading their respective creations into battle, seemingly switching places. When an illusionist finally escaped the carnage and attempted to dispel all the illusions, everything turned and attacked him at once, then disappeared.

Everyone looked around in panic for a few seconds, looking for the obvious people responsible, when a gentle "Kufufufufu" was heard, and Mukuro Rokudo slammed the butt of his trident into a Vindice's face. "You wanted me? Well here I am, back from the depths of hell." Said the pineapple headed illusionist, jumping into the fray with Hibari and Ryohei, much to their discomfort and annoyance, switching between trident and illusion and hell ring.

Tsuna still scanned the battle field, looking for someone who everyone else had forgotten. He felt a light brush against his cheek. "Chrome..." he softly whispered. A hug from behind was the only response.

The three fighters on the ground were competing to see who could end this fast enough when a tidal wave rushed over the plaza. A second tidal wave from the other side floored everyone except the guardians. Mukuro and Ryohei sighed, Hibari simply putting his weapons away as they all silently handed the bragging rights to a smiling Yamamoto Takeshi.

By the time everyone had stood up and looked back at the platform, they were all rewarded with an awesome sight: all seven guardians spread out in the front half of the platform, either glaring out of the side of their eyes or staring them down, a victorious smile on their face.

As Yamamoto cut down Tsuna and Ryohei picked him up, the guardians formed a protective circle around their boss and Sun guardian. Then they quite simply walked out, the freed prisoners behind them.

The grandest party that had ever been held by Vongola was held two nights later, when Tsuna could finally move. There was lots of alcohol and fun times and games and excited underlings and in general enjoyment. Xanxus even swung by to try and beat up Tsuna, then beat up Squalo (who had stopped him).

The party did stop for about five minutes when all the guardians froze, and the Shimon walked in on their little outdoor gathering. Enma strode purposefully, his gaze never wavering from Tsuna's eyes. The others weren't so calm, constantly glancing around, painfully aware how deep they were in enemy territory. One false step, and it would be war.

Enma stopped a foot from Tsuna. Everyone began to draw weapons when he reached into his jacket pocket, but relaxed when Tsuna told them to calm down and they saw that the Shimon boss was just pulling out a wine bottle. As he set it down on the table next to Tsuna, he looked at his one week friend and said "Next time you do something stupid...don't get caught."

The Shimon stayed only as long as etiquette demanded, then hurriedly left. As soon as they were out of sight, Gokudera, Ryohei, and Lambo all jumped for the bottle. Chrome snatched it before they could destroy it, uncorked it, and gave it a sip. When she didn't fall down to the ground after half an hour, they decided that it wasn't poisoned and finished it in about five seconds.

Tsuna sighed, softly knocking his head against the door behind him. Technically, the room he was in was a closet, but it easily fit a queen bed and still had plenty of room, so he slept here most nights. It was cozy.

The party was still going on, all over the mansion and outside. He'd long ago lost track of all his friends, and had decided that it was time for him to disappear for the night. He was never good at social gatherings anyway.

A soft knock at his door surprised him. No one knew about this room; he'd made sure that everyone thought it was a cleaning supply closet. Ignoring the knock, he crawled to the top of his bed and closed his eyes.

They snapped back open when the door quickly opened and shut. Tsuna turned on the hanging lightbulb to see Chrome standing against the inside of his door. She looked around. "Wow Boss. You really have this place furnished quite nicely."

"Chrome! what're you...how'd you..."

Chrome blushed. "I...I've followed you here before. When I couldn't find you anywhere at the party...I thought you might've come here."

Tsuna nodded. He stood up, his head barely brushing the top of the closet. Chrome has seemed to grow with him over the years, only an inch shorter than him, and a good head shorter then the other guardians. But he'd seen her take down just as many enemies as Hibari.

"When you...thought that you were going to..." Chrome stopped, changing the sentence. "What you sent me through the ring...no, wait...fuck..." she scrunched her eye shut, the words getting increasingly quieter, until you couldn't really hear her swear.

Tsuna knew what she was trying to ask. He knew why she was acting so uncomfortable. He lightly grabbed the bottom of her chin, causing her eye to snap open right before he kissed her. He broke apart a few seconds later. "Boss..." she practically begged.

Tsuna smiled widely. They were no longer a mafia boss and his bodyguard. It was like all the times they'd shared through high school, where they completely relaxed around the other. Only now they were adults. In a tiny closet in the middle of the night. Alone.

_About time._ was the only thing running through his head.

He looked down at the dress she was wearing. Forgoing her usual battle suit, she wore a black sleeveless dress that went down to her thighs, with a neckline that extended down to the top of her chest. she wore a necklace of small pearls to finish the outfit off.

After deciding between his choices, Tsuna slowly extended his hand till he grabbed the strap of her dress. Her eyes wide, she looked at him, surprised that her calm, gentle boss was being so blunt. But instead of taking off the dress, he simply used it as a handle, slowly pulling her forward until she was right in front of him. Slowly walking backward, he pulled her onto the bed, lying her on top of him.

Her legs moved down to either side of his as they kissed again, this time much more passionately, for much longer. Tsuna slowly massaged her thigh, draping his other arm around her. After a bit, she broke the kiss, her eye half closed, her playful smile and blush hinting at what she wanted.

"So Boss," she asked, "You never did answer my question."

"Which one?" he asked, confused but playing along.

Her smile went from ear to ear. "The one where if we aren't innocent, and if we don't have self control, whats to stop us from..." here she broke eye contact, slowly reaching down her hands as she helped her boss out of his vest and shirt. "...getting what we want?"

Tsuna sat up, stretching his arm to the lightbulb as his other hand softly petted her breast and he kept his lips centimeters from hers, teasing. "Nothing at all."

The light went out.

**Please review, tell me how i did. If anything in particular stands out, such as plot, length, characters, please let me know, and what you think of it. As with my last one, I may insert this into a series at some point.**

**Special thanks to all those that rated my previous fic, "Lullaby." **


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